Galaxy quest
New Zealand Listener|July 8 - 14, 2023
How the stars have aligned for Tamati Rimene-Sproat after he turned his back on TVNZ current affairs.
RUSSELL BAILLIE
Galaxy quest

At the start of his new show explaining everything everyone needs to know about Matariki, Tāmati Rimene-Sproat is pondering the heavens. "When I look up, I see the sky in all its majesty," he says in his best TV-presenter voice as we gaze at a glowing Milky Way. "It's where we come from ... well, I come from Masterton. But that's beside the point."

And so begins his second instalment of From Hongi to Hangi and Everything In Between, the series built around Rimene-Sproat's engaging, lighthearted and highly amusing ability to explain te ao Māori to anyone who might not know what that term means but may be willing to find out.

Last year, the first FHtH show about marae etiquette won him the best entertainment presenter gong at the local television awards. That, and the show's reception, might have confirmed he'd made the right move by leaving TVNZ, where in a few years he had gone from Te Karere to Seven Sharp to Sunday, before going out on his own. In his two years on Seven Sharp, he'd been largely used as the light-relief reporter on a current affairs show where the just-for-fun factor is already high. Maybe it was the moustache.

"When I shifted to Seven Sharp, I felt like I was playing this classic Billy T James cheeky Mäori-boy role and I got sick of it really quickly because there wasn't any depth to it. It was just 100% light and not a lot of shade. To be honest, I wanted to leave TVNZ then."

He was happier at Sunday, which provided a chance to learn about deeper small-screen storytelling. But having got what many journalists would see as a coveted role on a current affairs flagship, after two years he figured it just wasn't him.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin July 8 - 14, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin July 8 - 14, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

NEW ZEALAND LISTENER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 dak  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024